WASHINGTON – Not only is the cost of child care too expensive and skyrocketing – there aren’t enough quality options to meet demand, says a Montgomery County councilman. Those challenges have inspired Councilman Hans Riemer to propose a new County Office of Child Care, Early Care and Education in Montgomery County. The proposed office would help move more child care options into public spaces such as county schools, among other goals. “I’m optimistic it will pass,” Riemer tells WTOP of his proposal that’s still in committee. Many parents attending a hearing on the bill Tuesday night expressed frustration with child care options in the county. “I know from experiences with my own children how difficult it can be to find quality child care options,” says county resident Susan Goldberg, who has three children. “Then once you find something – the next hurdle is how to afford it.” Child care costs in Montgomery County are 40 percent higher than the statewide average, according to a Maryland Family Network report that Riemer references when detailing how badly demand for quality child care exceeds supply in the county. Riemer envisions that the Office of Child Care would work to ensure that there are enough child care providers and public space for them by helping develop relationships between public agencies and private businesses. The office also would create a Child Care Strategic Plan to address early learning in a comprehensive way. Montgomery County already has a Commission on Child Care made up of volunteer board members who develop policies, programs and services to try to encourage affordable, high quality and accessible child care in the county. Riemer estimates the proposed County Office of Child Care, Early Care and Education would cost between $400,000 and $500,000 a year to operate. The cost of child care in the U.S. will rise nearly 7 percent a year in each of the next three years, according to federal estimates. A recent report by Child Care Aware of America finds that in 23 states and the District of Columbia child care for two children costs more than housing costs for homeowners with a mortgage.

@hansriemer talks child care at his rally tonight and explains how important it is to be a dad. #Working4Families pic.twitter.com/gLwyeV1VFN

— Montgomery Council (@MoCoCouncilMD) April 1, 2015

Many parents, teachers & advocates testifying at MoCo Council on need for more child care support in the county. #ece pic.twitter.com/Bn3DJnDgfa

— Jared Solomon (@jaredssolomon) April 1, 2015